18th June, Saturday
Sangau to Lawngtlai.
We woke up early. We have a long road from Sangau to Lawngtlai. All our phones had died down because there was no electricity for the last three days. We couldn’t contact any other villages so we just started out blindly. As we were about to leave, an uncle (Forgive me. But I'm blessed with lots of uncles. Especially in Sangau.) ran after our car. When we stopped he gave me a book written in Lai. It turns out that when he was told I was doing a language research which has something to do with Lai, he spend the night digging into his book collection. It warms me to know that there are people who care for me and my research. I made a mental vow not to fail those people.
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| My reminder on why I should give my research my best: Ka Zahpi lo - Hrang Nawl. |
Just an hour onto the road, our car got stuck in the steep muddy road near Ceu Lui at the foothills of Phawngpui. My dad and I got down and pushed it. I have had a lot of practice pushing vehicles for a running start during my days back in Shillong. But I tell you, there ain’t no fun pushing a car stuck uphill. A truck came by and some of its passengers helped us push it out of the slippery mud. The car just got out of the mud when it died down again. We checked it and realized that the water dried up. Luckily there was a BRTF camp nearby and we took water from there and cooled the radiators.
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| Staring at Phawngpui a.k.a Blue Mountains from Ceu Lui. I didn't make an effort to climb it this time. I am no fan of the Phawngpui Leeches! |
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| Car Trouble : Look at the face of the one who who forgot to 'water' the car. Ha!! |
We were just about to start out when a family friend, U Sawmtea and his friend showed from nowhere. The truck that helped us push the car out of the mud, went to the next village and told them that our car broke down. Ah! How I love the hospitality and the self-sacrificial spirit in this part of the world. But with our car problem solved, U Sawmtea invited us to visit his dad’s farm. My dad hesitated a bit, but we ‘seduced’ him with the mini-tuibur factory at the farm. I must add, it’s safe to say that Tuibur is one vice that my dad can’t get rid of.
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| Tuibur Factory at Pu Thathrina's farm. |
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| Pu Thathrina Thlam: The inside of the farmshed. |
We spend around an hour at Pu Thathrina’s farm. The little farm had a fish pond right in the mid-slopes. The view was breath-taking with the magnificient Phawngpui looming and shadowing the farm. I took a walk uphill the farm and enjoyed myself picking fresh vegetables and taking pictures of the 100% organic farm. But my walk was interrupted by a morning shower. So I headed back to the little farmshed.
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| After the short walk |
We had brunch at Ceural village at a house which I noticed had a nice little fruit orchard just attached to the kitchen garden. This is one of the things I love about this village - fruit orchard and also the hardworking nature of the people who hailed from this village. I shared a quick beauty tip on how to use ripe avocado fruit as a mask with the lady of the house before we left. Avocado is aplenty in this village. Sigh!! And it's so pricey back in good old Delhi.
We made quick stops at the usual villages as on our way to Sangau. When we reached Saiha, it was getting dark. We had a quick dinner at Saiha and left for Lawngtlai soon after. I would have loved to stay in Saiha for the night but my dad had people to meet at Lawngtlai on Monday. And it was against my dad's ethics to travel on a Sunday. Though I don't share his ethics, it is not quite acceptable to travel on a Sunday when you're in Mizoram.
It was nearing midnight when we reached Lawngtlai. My dad checked into the GuestHouse while I choose to stay at my aunt's place.
By midnight I was safely in bed in the balmy heat of Lawngtlai, missing the cold winds of Sangau!!
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